I just finished the Financial Freedom Retreat in Bali, Indonesia. You’d expect a group of people gathering under the banner of financial independence to spend their time dissecting spreadsheets, swapping real estate strategies, or debating the 4% rule. That’s what these conferences looked like back in the 2010s and early 2020s—practical, tactical, laser-focused on money.
But this time? Not even close.
Instead of talking about credit card hacking, tax optimization, or geoarbitrage, conversations moved somewhere else entirely. If you were an outsider, you might assume money was still the centerpiece, but for those of us inside the community, it’s clear: the focus has shifted.
We spent most of our time on three topics—and none of them were about finance.
1. Physical wellness
More than anything else, we talked about our bodies. Not how much they could earn us or save us, but how well they’re holding up.
Are we in shape? Are we exercising? Which parts ache? What foods are helping or hurting us? Which doctors we’ve seen, and whether they’ve made a difference.
The retreat conversations revealed something striking: people here already know how to reach financial independence. Most of us have mastered the basics, and the money part is largely on autopilot. But good health? That feels more urgent, more fragile, and far less guaranteed.
The new concern isn’t how can I accumulate more wealth—it’s how can I take care of my body so I can enjoy what I’ve built?
Because what’s the point of retiring early if you’re too sick or exhausted to enjoy your freedom?
2. Mental health and purpose
The second theme that dominated was mental health, especially around purpose.
Once you’ve figured out your finances, the question changes from how do I make money last to what actually makes me happy?
We’ve all read about the 25x rule and the 4% safe withdrawal rate. Those formulas give us clarity on money. But they don’t give us clarity on meaning. And meaning, as it turns out, is a lot harder to calculate.
How do you live intentionally, without defaulting into mindless consumption or endless distraction? How do you fight off the depression or malaise that can creep in once you no longer have work dictating your daily structure?
At the retreat, people kept circling back to legacy and impact. Do we need to leave something lasting behind? Or is it enough to simply enjoy life in the moment?
The conversations weren’t neat or conclusive, but they were deeply personal. People were less interested in chasing the next decimal point in their net worth, and more concerned about whether they were truly fulfilled.
3. Community and connection
The third, and maybe most important, theme was community.
We didn’t just come to Bali to hear talks or sit in workshops. We came to see each other. To share meals, trade stories, and connect with people who share similar values.
I call these “communities of internal purpose.” They aren’t built around geography, jobs, or even hobbies. They’re built around meaning. People in these groups are driven by similar questions, similar values, and a shared desire for intentional living.
Money can help create the space to find these communities, but money itself is not the glue. The connection is.
What this shift tells us
So what does this all mean?
It means that for many in the financial independence community, at least those willing to fly across the world to retreats like this, personal finance is no longer the central challenge. Most of us have consumed enough podcasts, blog posts, and books to understand the basics. Money, once the biggest problem, has become the simplest one to solve.
The harder problems are what come next:
How do I stay physically fit enough to enjoy decades of freedom?
How do I stay mentally balanced and create purpose beyond work?
How do I build and maintain communities that matter?
These are questions without simple formulas or universal answers. Which is exactly why they’ve become the focus.
A rarefied group
Now, I’ll admit: this is a rarefied group.
Most people out there aren’t financially independent yet. Many are still buried in debt, living paycheck to paycheck, or struggling to even imagine retirement, early or otherwise. For them, the blocking-and-tackling of personal finance—saving, investing, budgeting—is still critical.
But for those in the know, those who’ve already solved the money puzzle, the conversation has evolved. It’s no longer about the “how” of financial independence. It’s about the “why.”
Why are we pursuing this freedom in the first place? And once we have it, what do we do with it?
So, does anyone care about money anymore?
Of course, money still matters. It’s the foundation, the ticket to freedom. But once you’ve got that ticket, the bigger question looms: what are you going to do with it?
The Financial Freedom Retreat in Bali made it clear that the financial independence community is beginning to care more about the hard, intangible stuff than about tax codes and withdrawal rates.
We’re beginning to care more about our bodies, our minds, and our relationships than about our spreadsheets.
And maybe that’s the point. Money was never the end goal. It was always just the beginning.
Did you catch this week’s episode of Earn & Invest (Click to listen)?
The Purpose Code is Now Available!
Interesting. I think this is a healthy shift. Money is just a lens for other deeper questions.
The money part can be put behind us as we know how to do that part. We also know how to (mostly) do the health part with exercise and knowing what to eat.
I find once the money and health part are done that mental part is just as hard. If you have all this money, all this time, and now all this energy due to good health that purpose takes on an even larger role.
When tired from working and being out of shape the mental part never took center stage. Being healthy with spare time and the mental is the number 1 concern